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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. craft — boats
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bass — low music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bank — for money
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. key — for a lock
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bank — for money
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cue — a signal
  19. shower — to wash
  20. cue — a hint
  21. shower — rain
  22. bass — the fish
  23. key — in music
  24. bank — of a river

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com